Ghost Robot is a creative content studio based in

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a Neighborhoods in Brooklyn, neighborhood in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Bedford–Stuyvesant to the s ...

, New York, United States. The company produces projects in a variety of media.

History

Ghost Robot was founded in 2002 by

Zachary Mortensen Zachary Mortensen (born October 5, 1972) is an American film producer, writer and founder of the production company Ghost Robot. Biography Zachary Mortensen is the founder and CEO of Ghost Robot, a production and management company in New Yo ...

. The company derived its name from the theme of a music video Ghost Robot was producing at the time. The video was for the song "In The Waiting Line" by the band Zero7, directed by

Tommy Pallotta Tommy Pallotta (born May 25, 1968, in Houston, Texas) is an American film director and producer. Biography Pallotta received a degree in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin. There, he met Richard Linklater and began his film caree ...

. "In The Waiting Line" was the first commercial use of

machinima Machinima, originally machinema () is the use of real-time computer graphics engines to create a cinematic production. Most often, video games are used to generate the computer animation. The word "machinima" is a portmanteau of the words ''ma ...

using the animation engine from the Quake video game. The video won awards at the first Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences awards ceremony at the Museum of Moving The Image in New York City. In 2005 Mark De Pace joined the company as a full partner and spearheaded the formation of the company's roster of directors for commercial representation. The addition of De Pace repositioned the company within the industry and began their official move into advertising and commercial production.

Music videos

Ghost Robot established its position in the industry with the production of music videos. Notable productions include RJD2’s “Work It Out” which features a performance by dancer and artist

Bill Shannon Bill Shannon (born 1970) is an American artist who resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Shannon holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Born with a degenerative hip condition, he developed a way to express himself through da ...

, shot in one take on the streets of New York City. The video was featured in the Saatchi New Directors Showcase in Cannes. In 2008 Ghost Robot produced the music video " Wanderlust" for

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

. The video was directed by long-time Ghost Robot collaborators

Isaiah Saxon Isaiah Saxon (born 1983)Mike Sager"These Are the Directors of the Future,"'' Esquire'', November 19, 2009. is an American film and music video director. He co-founded the animation studio Encyclopedia Pictura, and the online community DIY.org. E ...

and Sean Hellfritsch of Encyclopedia Pictura in New York City in stereoscopic 3D. The video involves a mixture of large scale puppeteering, live-action acrobatics, miniatures, and CG. The video took nine months to complete and required the creation of a custom-built 3d camera and playback system.

Entertainment

Partners Zachary Mortensen and Mark De Pace, both graduates of

NYU Film School The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...

, began their careers in independent film in New York City. Ghost Robot has produced feature films, documentary films, and comic books. In 2008 the company produced '' Against The Current'', which premiered at Sundance Film Festival. Benjamin Dickinson directed Ghost Robot's feature film ''

Creative Control Artistic control or creative control is a term commonly used in media production, such as movies, television, and music production. A person with artistic control has the authority to decide how the final product will appear. In movies, this c ...

'', starring, which had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 14, 2015. It was released on March 11, 2016, by Amazon Studios and Magnolia Pictures. In 2014 Ghost Robot launched its first comic book with the publication of The Gatecrashers: A Night of Gatecrashing. The book found critical acclaim and continues as an ongoing comic series.

Branded content

Ghost Robot produces advertising and branded content for international brands, including for the relaunch of the 2013 Ford Fusion.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghost Robot Mass media companies based in New York City American companies established in 2002 Mass media companies established in 2002 Design companies established in 2002 Video production companies American animation studios Visual effects companies Design companies of the United States Transmedia storytelling 2002 establishments in New York City